A method for operating a cabling machine of the type mentioned at the outset is known from German Patent Publication DE 27 26 603 A1. The cabling machine known from German Patent Publication DE 27 26 603 A1 has a large number of workstations, which are arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine. The workstations in each case comprise a spindle, onto which a feed bobbin is creeled as well as a creeling device arranged on the machine frame, which is used to receive a second feed bobbin. The yarn drawn off from the feed bobbin on the creeling device is guided to a yarn guide arranged above the spindle, where it is joined to the yarn drawn off overhead from the feed bobbin creeled on the spindle. The yarn produced by this course is wound onto a take-up bobbin with a predetermined weight. The feed bobbins generally used in this production process always have the same weight, the total weight of which is above the weight which the completed take-up bobbin has. During production, a not inconsiderable quantity of yarn therefore remains on the feed bobbin creeled on the spindle, which is, however, insufficient, after the completed take-up bobbin has been replaced by an empty tube, to again wind the latter to form a take-up bobbin with the required weight. The residual feed bobbin located on the spindle is therefore removed from the spindle pot and creeled on the creeling device. The start of the yarn is connected to the yarn end of the residual feed bobbin already located there, so both feed bobbins can be unwound consecutively without an interruption. If the residual yarn quantity of the two feed bobbins is not sufficient to fill a further take-up bobbin with the desired yarn quantity, a further feed bobbin is placed on the creeling device or the residual feed bobbin which has run empty first is replaced on the creeling device by a new feed bobbin.
It has proven to be disadvantageous in this procedure that, on the one hand, a large number of operating steps is necessary to wind a take-up bobbin of a predetermined weight and that, on the other hand, residual feed bobbins remain, the yarn material of which, after the ending of a batch, have to be processed as residual bobbins or discarded.